MVGL's Favorite Games of 2018

Red Dead Redemption 2

2018 was a backlog year for me, and while playing through the classics is all fine and dandy, it meant counting this year's offerings on one hand. Therefore this year's GOTY will have to be a safe and obvious pick. Still, I think it's safe to say that the polish and immersion of Red Dead Redemption II gives any competitors a run for their money. With an extensive world full of activity, plenty of attention to detail and Rockstar's writing chops, Red Dead Redemption II is an experience worth its salt. The wild west is better realized than ever here, with more powerful hardware than the predecessor to back it up and a borderline simulation approach RDR2 captures the tone and atmosphere of the period perfectly. The cast got an upgrade in screen presence as well with up towards 20 highly memorable characters each with an unique personality. The gameplay might not be much to write home about but gets the job done. If you want an extensive period drama to immerse yourself into then this is the game for you!

Octopath Traveler

Ever since I played the first demo of Octopath Traveler, I eagerly awaited its release on the Nintendo Switch. Several months passed, and it finally came out in July 2018. I was already certain I would enjoy the game, but now I think that's an understatement. From the amazing graphic design to the marvelous soundtrack and it's incredible fun battle system, everything in this game just shines, while paying homage to the classic JRPGs of the 90s. If you love RPGs and own a Nintendo Switch, you should absolutely get this game, it's definitely worth it.

Darksiders III

It was a tough call for my favourite game of 2018, between this, God of War and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. However, I’ve been looking forward to this game for at least five years and it was well worth the wait. All of the mistakes THQ made with Darksiders II were seemingly fixed by THQ Nordic, the gameplay is back to how it was in the first instalment. In Darksiders III, players control Fury – the next Horseman of the Apocalypse, on Earth during her brother War’s 100 year imprisonment. Fury must hunt down each of the Seven Deadly Sins who have escaped from their own imprisonment. Many ‘game journalists’ compared the game to Dark Souls on account of it being slightly hard and sharing some common tropes. All I can say is, this game is not Dark Souls, although it may share some minor similarities in gameplay. Playing this game on launch day meant that there were no walkthroughs available, so it was fun for me to actually work things out for myself (if you play this game, I do recommend merely working things out yourself if you’re stuck). Summing up; Darksiders III is a very fun and rewarding game and I hope they make a sequel.